Iron in the Frost

[Verse 1 – Clean gang vocals, slow marching tempo, tagelharpa lead] Cold bites the skin where the raven has flown Dawn paints the fjord in a banner of stone We rise from the longhouse, breath white as the snow Axes on shoulders, hearts blacker than coal Bind the leather, tighten the mail Drink the bitter mead that sharpens the will One hundred winters forged into this day We train as we kill, and we kill as we train [Pre-Chorus – Building, throat-sung drone] Hammers on iron, iron on bone Blood must remember the debt that it owes [Chorus – Full death metal assault, blast beats, guttural roar] SKOL THE BLADE! SKOL THE BLADE! Carve the storm into muscle and hate! SKOL THE BLADE! SKOL THE BLADE! Every scar is a promise we make! Row until lungs collapse, swing till arms break We are the wolves that the gods forsake SKOL! SKOL! SKOL THE BLADE! [Verse 2 – Half-spoken, half-sung over galloping war drums] Run the ridge with the shield wall in step Ten thousand footfalls that summon the dead Lift the stones that the giants once threw Till the spine learns the weight it must hew Spar in the circle till brother bleeds brother No mercy, no quarter, no mourning another The weak fall silent beneath frost and pine The strong drink deeper of Odin’s red wine [Bridge – Slow, ritualistic, layered throat singing + distant horns] We do not train for glory We do not train for kings We train so when the Norns cut the thread Death itself will flinch [Final Chorus – Even heavier, guitars drop to B, choir of growls] SKOL THE BLADE! SKOL THE BLADE! Forge the body into a tomb for their fate! SKOL THE BLADE! SKOL THE BLADE! Every heartbeat a war cry engraved! When the dragon ships roar and the sky turns to flame We will laugh as we charge through the gates SKOL! SKOL! TO HEL OR VALHALLA SKOL THE BLADE! [Outro – Tagelharpa solo fading into wind and distant thunder] The ravens are watching The ravens approve Tomorrow the training is over Tomorrow we prove.